The present invention relates to suspended drywall ceilings constructed from a supporting suspension grid. The suspension grid is typically constructed using suspended "T" grid beams joined together in various configurations. A "T" grid beam is an elongated beam with a flange at the bottom of the beam that provides a grid beam face upon which drywall panels can be mounted. The "T" grid beams are joined together by various styles of clips. Typically, the "T" grid beams are made of extruded aluminum or roll-formed steel, and can be straight or curved. The use of straight and curved grid beams within a suspended grid creates a multi-directional grid face surface upon which drywall can be mounted when formed and shaped to match the multi-directional grid face surface. This allows for the creation of drywall ceilings having vaults and other features having curved portions.
The creation of curved portions and features in prior art suspended grid systems requires many modifications to the grid beams during installation. In order to create a curved grid beam, the web portion of a straight grid beam must be cut or notched at measured intervals in order to allow the installer to bend the beam to the desired curvature. This process typically requires the use of additional clips to reinforce the web portion at each cut or notch. This increases the cost of installation. This process also results in the creation of a faceted grid beam face surface only approximating a curve, due to the bending concentration at the cut or notch and straight portions in between the cuts or notches. This adversely affects how the drywall panels fit upon the grid beam face surface. Furthermore, since the curved grid beams are created at the installation site, there is less consistency in the creation of curved ceiling features from one installation site to the next. Variations in radius, chord length, and arc angle of the curved beam are possible. This customization also requires separate structural evaluation and engineering for each installation site that incorporates such curved features.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a drywall suspension grid system comprising a cataloged selection of standard pre-engineered and pre-formed components so that various curvatures and features of a ceiling may be constructed using these standard components without the need for on-site fabrication.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a drywall suspension grid system including a selection of standard pre-engineered grid clips that can be used to join the grid beams at various intersection and transition points within the suspension grid, thereby eliminating the need for custom fabricated grid clips for each installation.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a drywall suspension grid system including pre-engineered and pre-curved grid beams thereby eliminating the need for on-site fabrication and customization of curved grid beams within a drywall suspension grid system.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a drywall suspension grid system having pre-engineered and pre-formed components, thereby minimizing the need for individual structural evaluation, calculation, and engineering for each separate installation site.